Electric railway.



No. 745,382. I V PATENTED-DEO. '1, 1903. W. B. POTTER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2, 1901. no MODEL.

Witnesses: lrfivehtor':

ad P WI Hiam B. otfer;

its. 745,382.

- 'UNI'TED STATES Patented December I, 19031. PATENT. OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. POTTER, OF SOHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GEN-ERALELEOTRIO COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,382, datedDecember 1, 1903.

Application filed August 2, 1,901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM B. POTTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady, State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElectricRailways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in electric railways of thewell-known third-rail class and of the particular'type wherein the thirdrail is continuously alive and may be provided with any desirableprotecting means to prevent accidents from shock.

In accordance with this invention the normally energized third rail isdivided into a number of blocks, one or more of which ad jacent to ablock over which a car or train is passing being automatically cut outof circuit, so that danger of collisions between cars or trains isavoided.

The drawing is a diagrammatic illustration of a railway constructed inaccordance with the invention.

The object of the invention is accomplished by dividing the third railinto sections, the lengths of which are proportioned according to thedistance at which it is safe for trains to approach one another. Thesections will therefore usually vary in length at different portions ofthe road, being longer where high speeds are maintained and shorterwhere cars or trains must go more slowly. As shown, however, thesections are of the same length. The sections of the third rail areindicated at F, F, F, and F and they are connected to the main M bybranches B, B, B and B These branches are i normally closed byswitches-such as W, W and W so that the sections F F, &c., arecontinuously alive. Electromagnet-coils A, A and A are arranged tocontrol the respective switches, so

that when a coil is energized by the passage of a car or train theswitch which normally connects with the main a section other than theone over which the car or train is passing is opened. Thus it isimpossible for another train which may arrive at such dead-sectionSerial No. 70,590- (No model.)

I to proceed farther and come in collision with the first train.

In the specific embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing thesections F F, &c., are located on one side of the track-rails T, whichwill preferably, although not necessarily, constitute the return for themotor 0,

carried by the car. At portions of the road which pass through cities,where danger of electrolysis is to be avoided, any other suitable returnmay be employed. ries on one side a collector O, which engages with thesectional conductor F F. For the purpose of providing a circuit for theelectromagnets A, &c., an auxiliary sectional conductor P, P, P and P islocated on the opposite side of the track-rails, and acclleetor 0,carried by the car on the side opposite from the collector C, engageswith this aux- The collectors O and O are connected together, and themotor 0 is connected between this cross connection and the car-axle,where it may be grounded at G, so that the auxiliary conductor is inshunt to the car-motor. The electromagnet-coils A, &c., are included inconnections between the sections of the auxiliary conductor and asuitable return, as shown.

The connections shown are especially adapted for the travel of the caror train in the direction shown by the arrow, and the car has justcarried the collector 0 upon the section F so that the motor 0 is takingcurrent from the main M through the switch W and branch connection B Theother collector, O, in derivation to the motor-circuit, is alsoenergized to complete a circuit through the magnet-coil A, so that theswitch W is actu-' ated to break the continuity of the branch B, whichnormally connects the main M with the conductor -secti on F. Thus incase a following car or train arrives at this rear section F it will bedeprived of current andsgo. cannot proceed farther, thus avoiding alldanger of collision with the forward car. The a section F is of suchlength, in accordance. with the local conditions, that the car or trainThe car carwill not be carried by momentum dangerously near to anothertrain. The arrangement shown is especially advantageous, because the carshown can, if desired, back up or proceed 5 in the direction opposite tothat indicated by the arrowthat is to say, assuming that the car ismoved from the position toward the left, when the collector C engagesthe section F, it will not, of course, receive current IO therefrom,because the switch W is yet open; but as soon as the collector G haspassed off from the section F the section F will be immediately made tobe alive by the dropping of the switch W, so that the motor 0 will besupplied with current from the section F instead of from the section F.In effect, therefore, the arrangement shown provides not only againstrear-end collisions, but against head-on collisions, for as soon as thecollector C engages the section F the shoe 0 will of course engage thesection P, and therefore the section F will be disconnected from themain, so that a car or train coming from the left could not get current.Such car or train moving to the right could, however, before reachingthe dead-section, back up without difficulty to get out of the way ofthe car or train moving to the left.

A further advantage of the arrangement 0 shown in the drawing is that nobattery is required to be carried by the car for the purpose ofinitially energizing an electromagnet to cgnp eeta conductor-sectionwith the main, E'sis usual in sectional third-rail systems. 5 Thisadvantage is made possible because the switches W, 650., normallyconnect the conductor-sections with the main, so that such sections arecontinuously alive.

In addition to the above-described power 40 connectionselectrically-operated signals are provided for the purpose of indicatingto the motorman the position of the train which his train may beapproaching or which may be approaching his train. These signals arepreferably located at or immediately before the end of a section and areindicated at N, &c., and K, &c., N being electric lamps for. nightservice and K being electrically-operated semaphores for day service. Asshown, the lamp N is connected in circuit with the magnet-coil A. Thesemaphores may be ac tuated by any suitable mechanism, such asbell-cranks pivoted at 5, the end thereof being pivoted at 7 to aprojection 9, carried by the switch WV, so that the operation of thesemaphore is controlled by the operation of the switch. As a furtherprecaution and to make more nearly certain that the motorman k shaibecome aware of the fact that the sec- 2: tion in advance of his trainis disconnected from the feeder a lamp or other suitable signal L may beconnected in the circuit of the electromagnet at a point between thesection P andv the magnet-coil A, this signal tions of said auxiliaryconductor and the return and energized successively as the car or trainproceeds, to open the switches of sections other than that from whichthe car or train is taking current, and signals connected in circuitwith said auxiliary conductor.

2. A safety-block electric railway, which comprises a feeder or main, areturn, a sectional power-conductor, branch connections between thesections thereof and the main, switches which normally close saidconnections, an auxiliary sectional conductor, collecting means engagingboth sectional conductors, electromagnets connected between the sectionsof the auxiliary conductor and the return in shunt to the motor-circuitand energized successively as the car proceeds, to open the switches ofsections other than that from which the car or train is taking current,and signals in circuit with said auxiliary conductor, one of saidsignals being located adjacent to each section of the auxiliaryconductor and another signal located adjacent to the switch controlledby that section.

3. A safety-block electric railway, which comprises a feeder or main, asectional conductor, branch connections between the sections thereof andthe main, switches which normally close said connections, electromagnetsenergized successively as the car proceeds, to open the switches ofsections other than that from which the car or train is taking current,and signals mechanically connected with the switches.

4. A safety-block railway system, which comprises a feeder or main,track or service rails, a sectional power-conductor on one side of saidtrack-rails independent of said rails, branch connections between thesections thereof and the main, switches which normally close the saidconnections, an'auxiliary sectional conductor on the other side of thesaid track-rails independent of said rails, collectors on opposite sidesof the car and interconnected so as to connect the two sectionalconductors together, and electromagnets connected with said auxiliaryconductor and energized successively as the car or train proceeds, toopen the switches of sections other than that from which the car ortrain is taking current.

5. A safety-block electric railway, which IIO comprises a feeder ormain, a sectional conthe condition of the sections controlled bysaid 1oductor, electromagnetic switches which norswitches.

mally connect the sections thereof with the In witness whereof I havehereunto set my main, suitable connections for the electrohand this 30thday of July, 1901. magnets whereby the switches are automatically openedupon the passage of a car or train WILLIAM POTTER to prevent the tooclose approach of two cars Witnesses:

or trains, and signals mechanically connected BENJAMIN B. HULL,

to said switches for the purpose of indicating 1 MARGARET E. WOOLLEY.

